In terms of donating, yeah the death star is an obvious joke and comic relief. While I am soured on kickstarter as a group, I would (and have) considered backing specific projects, assuming that I want the item that they are trying to build. Will there be times when I'm disappointed in the final project, certainly. There were several of the projects that I backed and did not like the ultimate results, but I have the same for random 'finished' products that I buy on ebay. It all depends on the project and my assessment of the project creators. Back when I went to KS to look for new things to back, it was a useful place to find these new projects.

Back when I went to KS to look for new things to back, it was a useful place to find these new projects.

I've been looking in on tindie from time to time. It's a much smaller site the anything like KS, but seems to be more maker/tech project oriented.

https://www.tindie.com/

It is also interesting because as well as funding projects, it also incorporates a storefront for a seller. This means as a seller you have a choice between setting up a project for funding along the lines of KS, or just start selling your products in a staore, as an alternative to something like ebay. Also, it keeps it under one roof when your funding project goes into "selling from your store" stage.

Fees look better compared to KS and ebay.

The only obvious thing it lacks is the visibility/traction you would get with one of the more well established sites. But I think some of the basic ideas are good.